Extract  of a Letter  from  John  H.  Farnham,  Esq, 
a Member  of  the  American  Antiquarian  Society , 
describing  the  Mammoth  Cave,  m Kentucky, 
IN  passing  from  Barren  to  Warren  county,  I 
visited  an  immense  Cave,  which,  by  way  of  distin- 
guishing it  from  numerous  others  in  this  part  of 
the  country,  which  is  wholly  limestone,  and  very 
hollow,  is  called  the  Mammoth  Cave,  one  of  the 
greatest  curiosities  the  country  affords.  It  is  owned 
by  some  gentlemen  of  Lexington  with  whom  I am 
acquainted,  who  manufacture  from  the  earth  found 
in  it,  a vast  quantity  of  saltpetre.  By  a steep  preci- 
pice you  descend  to  its  mouth,  which  seems  like 
some  frightful  chasm  in  nature,  whose  hideous 
yawn  allures  the  adventurer  to  its  interiour,  only  to 
bury  him  in  eternal  darkness.  The  entrance  to  the 
pjfernal  abodes  of  ancient  mythology  is  most  forcb 


356 


bly  recalled  to  your  mind.  Here,  you  say,  Virgii 
might  have  found  a hell  formed  to  his  mind.  In 
advancing  two  or  three  hundred  yards,  the  incum- 
bent rocks,  which,  at  first,  formed  a lofty  and  tre- 
mendous arch  over  your  head,  gradually  converge 
till  you  come  to  a low  and  narrow  entrance,  where 
for  several  yards  it  is  necessary  to  stoop.  The  en- 
trance, however,  is  not  so  low  but  that  oxen  are  ad- 
mitted with  facility.  Here  a black  and  dreary  per- 
spective of  nearly  a quarter  of  a mile  is  presented 
to  the  eye.  At  the  end  of  which,  you  see  by  dim 
torches,  twenty  or  thirty  blacks  engaged  in  the  la- 
bours of  the  Cave,  which  has  no  small  effect  in 
strengthening  any  illusion  that  may  have  occupied 
your  mind.  A strong  current  of  cold  air  at  the  en- 
trance imparts  a chili  to  the  feelings,  that  seems  to 
prepare  you  to  enter  this  tomb  of  nature.  Here 
our  guide,  who  was  the  head  workman  of  the  Cave, 
stopped  to  furnish  us  with  torches,  which,  with  the 
Utmost  difficulty,  we  preserved  from  being  extin- 
guished by  the  violent  current  that  is  perpetually 
rushing  to  the  warm  atmosphere  without.  The 
experience  of  our  guide,  however,  soon  removed 
all  difficulties,  and  introduced  us,  gazing  with  ad- 
miration and  astonishment  at  the  gloomy  sublimi- 
ties of  this  subterraneous  abode. 

After  passing  the  entrance,  the  Cave  gradually 
opens  till  you  have  a wall  of  sixty  or  seventy  feet 
high,  with  a width  of  from  one  to  three  or  four  feet. 
There  is  a pretty  good  turnpike  road  formed  for 
three  fourths  of  a mile  in  the  Cave,  on  which  the 
oxen  cart  the  earth  used  in  the  manufactory  of  salt- 
petre, to  convenient  places. 


The  process  of  making  saltpetre  is  very  simple... 
The  earth  is  dug  up  and  deposited  in  square  pits* 
called  hods.  When  one  of  these  pits  is  filled,  wa- 
ter is  poured  in  till  the  strength  of  the  earth  is  ex- 
hausted. The  water  drained  off  is  called  beer. — . 
This  is  conveyed,  by  ducts  or  pipes,  from  the  hods 
as  near  as  possible  to  the  entrance  of  the  Cave, 
whence  it  is  taken  by  buckets  to  some  convenient 
place  above  ground,  and  put  into  boilers,  where,  by 
an  infusion  of  potash,  the  limestone,  which  the 
beer  contains,  is  separated  from  the  salt,  and  the 
sediment,  after  boiling,  is  saltpetre.  From  three  to 
five  hundred  pounds  a day  are  made,  worth  from 
sixteen  to  twenty  five  cents  a pound.  The  cost  of 
making  is  four  cents. 

You  will  naturally  expect  me  to  carry  you  to  the 
end  of  this  subterraneous  region,  after  introducing 
you  with  so  much  formality.  That  has  not  yet 
been  explored  ; and,  were  it  possible,  one  or  two 
miles  which  I traversed  was  enough  to  satisfy  my 
curiosity.  The  Cave  has  been  penetrated  to  the 
distance  of  between  nine  and  ten  miles,  without 
coming  to  a boundary,  although  it  requires  much 
labour  and  expense  to  clear  away  the  rocks  to  con- 
tinue the  passage  after  going  nine  miles.  This 
Cave  is  more  remarkable  for  its  immense  extent 
than  for  the  beauty  or  variety  of  its  productions,  or 
the  curiosities  found  in  it.  There  are  numerous 
pillars,  some  of  immense  size  and  fantastick  form 
and  shape,  formed  by  the  petrifaction  of  water ; 
but  none  of  the  beautiful  stalactites  and  crystalli- 
zations, which  are  found  in  many  other  caves. — • 
There  are  several  forks,  from  one  to  two  miles  long8 


358 


diverging  in  different  directions  from  the  main  Gave? 
which  is  the  longest  direct  course.  After  proceed- 
ing about  half  a mile  in  the  main  Cave,  by  the  rec- 
ommendation of  our  guide,  we  ascended  a plank 
bridge  to  the  right  of  the  main  passage,  which  took 
us  into  a large  fork,  about  a mile  in  length,  that  led 
to  what  is  called  the  haunted  chamber.  We  fol- 
lowed this  fork,  or  passage,  nearly  three  fourths  of 
a mile,  over  very  rough  stones,  having  a w'all  of 
from  ten  to  twenty  feet  of  pure  white  limestone 
over  our  heads,  when  our  attention  was  arrested  by 
the  sound  of  a water  fall,  striking  deep  into  a basin 
apparently  under  our  feet,  and  reverberating  with  a 
solemn  and  impressive  echo  through  the  whole  of 
this  dismal  region.  Our  guide  told  us,  that  it  was 
one  fourth  of  a mile  off,  though  the  rapid  com- 
munication of  sound  made  it  seem  so  near.  The 
effect  was  sublime.  We  followed  our  leader  with 
eagerness  to  explore  its  source.  We  descended 
another  precipice,  more  steep  and  dangerous  than 
that  at  our  entrance,  which  brought  us  to  a narrow 
fissure  of  stupendous  rock,  that,  by  a circuitous 
passage  down  a steep  hill,  through  immense  shelv- 
ing rocks,  hanging  forty  or  fifty  feet  over  our 
heads,  and  so  close,  that  their  embrace  seemed  to 
threaten  us  with  annihilation,  took  us  to  a distant 
chamber  of  the  Cave,  where,  from  the  top  of  the 
wall,  a beautiful  and  clear  stream  of  water  issued 
through  a hole  not  much  bigger  than  a gun  barrel, 
and  fell  into  a large  basin  ; thence,  with  a murmur- 
ing noise,  ran  through  several  subterraneous  wind- 
ings it  was  impossible  for  us  to  explore.  I tasted 
die  water,  and  found  it  excellent.  We  were  once 


3S9 


or  twice  alarmed,  oy  ruminating  on  the  possibility 
of  losing  our  light  in  this  region  of  darkness.  Our 
guide  told  us  it  had  happened  to  several  persons  in 
the  Cave,  who  had  been  obliged  to  sit  down,  and 
pass  many  hours  in  darkness,  waiting  patiently  till 
they  were  sent  for.  It  would  be  impossible  for  the 
most  experienced  workman  to  find  his  way  out  in 
the  dark.  Shelving  rocks,  precipices  and  pits  assail 
him  on  all  sides,  and  endanger  his  life.  A man  in 
a neighbouring  Cave,  the  last  summer,  lost  his 
light,  and  in  attempting  to  get  out,  perished. 

The  greatest  curiosity,  however,  remains  to  be 
described.  It  was,  in  the  language  of  the  people,  an 
“Indian  Mummy.”  Mummies,  however,  or  embalm- 
ed bodies,  have  never  been  found  in  America  ; and 
the  art,  in  its  ancient  perfection,  was,  I believe,  con- 
fined to  the  Egyptians,  with  perhaps  the  exception 
of  their  Asiatick  neighbours.  This  was  an  Indian 
woman,  whose  flesh  and  muscles  had  been  dried  to 
the  bones,  and  kept  in  so  great  a state  of  preserva- 
tion, by  the  influence  probably  of  saltpetre,  that 
many  of  the  features  were  distinctly  discernible.— 
The  shape  and  conformation  of  the  ears  Were  per- 
fectly preserved,  and  the  hands,  fingers  and  toe  nails. 
The  teeth  all  in  their  proper  place  ; the  lips,  though 
dried,  were  yet  coral  in  their  appearance ; much 
of  the  hair  was  perfect ; and,  the  whole  carcass, 
and  its  mode  of  burial,  have  furnished  to  all 
who  have  seen  it,  a copious  topick  of  admiration 
and  conjecture.  Her  posture,  as  she  was  found, 
precisely  resembles  most  of  the  Indian  skeletons 
that  have,  at  different  times,  been  found  in  the  west- 
ern country.  She  was  buried  in  a squatting  form, 


360 


the  knees  drawn  up  close  to  the  breast,  the  arms! 
bent,  with  the  hands  raised,  and  crossing  each  other 
about  the  chin,  in  a close  position,  as  if  she  would 
guard  her  vital  parts  from  injury.  She  was  found 
in  this  posture*  enclosed  in  a couple  of  deer  skins, 
which  were  bound  together  by  a ligament  of  braid- 
ed bark,  a species  of  manufacture  exclusively  In- 
dian. There  were  found,  likewise,  buried  with  her, 
many  ornamental  articles,  such  as  birds’  feathers, 
coloured  and  stained  in  various  ways;  beads  form- 
ed of  dry  berries  ; the  skin  and  rattles  of  a snake  ; 
a fawn’s  foot  in  a state  of  perfect  preservation  ; and 
many  other  articles,  mostly  appropriate  to  feminine 
uses,  and  which  denote  her  to  have  been  a woman 
of  distinction.  No  article  was  found  that  denoted 
the  slightest  commerce  with  the  Europeans  ; and 
the  general  opinion  of  those  who  have  examined 
this  carcass,  and  seen  other  Indian  skeletons,  is, 
that  she  must  have  laid  there  several  hundred  years- 
The  carcass  was  very  light,  though  the  dried  flesh 
and  entrails  were  preserved,  not  weighing  more 
than  twelve  or  fourteen  pounds.  The  woman  was 
nearly  six  feet  high.  The  colour  of  the  carcass 
was  that  of  dried  tobacco,  of  a yellowish  hue.  It 
was  found  three  months  since,  under  some  rocks  in 
a neighbouring  Cave,  by  the  workmen.  The  lim- 
its of  a single  letter  will  not  admit  of  a particular 
account  of  the  Cave,  or  Mummy.  On  coming  out 
of  it,  after  nearly  two  hours  confinement,  the  heat 
of  the  atmosphere  was  so  oppressive  as  almost  to 
produce  fainting. 

I forgot  to  mention  to  you,  that  the  superstition 
of  some  people  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Cave,  though 


361 


perfectly  independent  of  classical  or  fabulous  his= 
tory,  induces  them  to  believe  this  Cave  to  be  the 
passage  to  hell  itself.  It  lies  on  Green  River,  near 
the  banks. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2015 


https://archive.org/details/extractofletterf01farn 


